Praia

Praia (pronounced PREYE-a) is the main planet in the Material Plane. It is home to a plethora of races, kingdoms, and gods.

History
The history of Praia is usually split into seven ages by the scholars of the world: the Ages of Starbirth, Dreams, Dusk, Hope, Dust, Brilliance, and Penance.

The Age of Starbirth
The Age of Starbirth is at once the most important and least known of the ages, all concrete knowledge of the events having long ago been lost to time. What is known is that this is the age where the world itself was forged by the God of Creation Reorx at the behest of the three head gods. The three original races, humanity, elvenkind, and orckind, were created at the dawn of this Age.

It is unclear as to what exactly ended the Age, though theories range from the creation of the Lesser Races such as Gnomes, Dwarves, and Halflings, to a cataclysmic war between the Gods themselves.

The Age of Dreams
Here, records become somewhat clearer. Though the Silvanesti claim to trace their kingdom back to the Age of Starbirth, most outside scholars agree that the original Elven kingdom was founded at this time. This Age was a time of great heroes and deeds. Dwarves and other lesser races are known to have been created by the end of the Age.

It came to an end with Druvia's Trechery and the birth of the Drovinesti people.

The Age of Dusk
The third Age derives its name for the metaphorical night in which civilization entered in its stay. Following the Treachery, the world was thrown into war that did not end for centuries. Dragons, which had hitherto been but a footnote in the histories of the world, came to its forefront.

Thorag is founded as a bastion and fortress for dwarvenkind near the beginning of the Age.

As with its predecessor, the Age of Dusk ended with a Split in the kingdom of Silvanesti.

The Age of Hope
The Age of Hope was heralded by the Kith-Kannan Apostasy. The creation of the new Elven kingdom, this time created in peace if not good will, led the world into an era of peace and prosperity. Humanity, which had been beaten down by the Wars of Dusk, spread out across the lands and quickly outgrew the other races. The city of Istar was founded at some point in this Age, though the city would not gain notoriety for many years.

The Reaper Cycle, ancient Iparini myth, is said to have taken place in this Age.

The Age of Dust
The Age of Dust was singlehandedly started by a mage of great power, now only known by his epithet- the Mast of Past and Present. His reckless and power-hungry abuse of magic led to what are now called the Magus Wars. The Wars culminated with the Gods of Magic themselves, Solinari, Lunitari, and Nuitari, to descend from their moons and found the Order of the Three Robes to regulate wizardry on Praia. To this effect, the Towers of High Wizardry were created at this time.

The chaos spawned by the Magus Wars would last for years following its conclusion and would eventually led to the War of the Hammer, a civil war in Thorag, and the Thammor's Exodus. The refugees from the war, led by the Dwarven hero Thammor, crossed the Bokkir Wastes and founded the kingdom of Thorbardin near the Qualinesti.

The Age of Brilliance
The Age of Brilliance's precise beginning is difficult to pin-point, as the healing process from the Magus Wars was long in coming. However, the official date is given as 213 years after the conclusion of the Wars, with the appointment of the 284th King-Priest of Istar. In his reign, the King-Priest extended Istar's influence further than it ever had before, even gaining footholds in Edhest. He accomplished this by rallying the people against Evil and banning all forms of the worship of that pantheon.

Throughout the Age, Istar would gain influence. Through them, the Church of Paladine became stronger and stronger, but so too did the Istari's pride and zeal. By the appointment of the 297th King-Priest, magic in its entirety was banned. Wizardry and sorcery were banned in all forms, Good, Evil, or Neutral. Soon later, the worship of the Neutral Gods was banned.

Near the end of the Age, only worship of Paladine was legal in Istar, with even his consort, Mishakal being banned. The Age ended when the 319th King-Priest of Istar demanded to be made a God for his services. For this final affront, the Reckoning was sent to Praia.

The Reckoning marked the final appearance of Chromatic and Metallic dragons on Praia for centuries.

The Age of Penance
The Reckoning wiped Istar and the surrounding countryside off the map. For 50 years thereafter, the Gods would not answer any mortal call for help. It took another hundred years before worship of the Gods became popular again. The Hundred Cities of Istar rose from the ashes of the old empire, abandoning the original Istari tenants and building a mercantile coalition. Legoalin, until then a mere Istari province, rose to the forefront in the fight for Good.

Kingdoms
See Kingdoms of Praia.

Gods
See Gods of Praia.